Today's News

The Summer Health Celebration will be held at the Dewey Hunter Center on June 25 from noon to 3 p.m. There will be free bounce houses, give-a-ways and free face painting. For more information call (423)377-5114 or (423)201-8013.

Daniel Ward is facing 10 counts of aggravated sexual battery, two counts of attempted sexual battery, two counts of attempted sexual battery by an authority figure and two counts of sexual battery.
The case has run the legal gamut to date.

From nearly accepting a plea to being placed in jail because his attorney wasn’t prepared for trial, Ward’s case has lingered in the judicial system.

It’s been less than two weeks since Gora Watts was allegedly attacked by Elko, the Knoxville City Police K-9 officer.

But $450,000 worth of litigation is already pending in the case.

Just days after the incident which resulted in the Belgian Malinois being shot and killed by Campbell County Animal Control Officer Otis Poore, attorney David Dunaway filed a complaint in circuit court on behalf of Gora Watts and her husband Fred Watts naming the city of Knoxville and Johnathan and Mandy Chadwell as defendants.

After pleading guilty in criminal court on Monday, Pam Ray has been denied access to areas of downtown LaFollette.

In early April, Ray was arrested after the LaFollette Police received allegations that she had had sexual contact with a 14-year-old- male, court records said. She allegedly did this in exchange for money. Police further alleged it had occurred with 100 feet of a church and less than two miles from a school.

On Monday, his attorney, Michael Hatmaker, allowed the motion he filed in October 2010 to speak for itself. In essence, it said that despite his client being charged with aggravated robbery but convicted of simple robbery, the case still lacked enough evidence to garner a guilty verdict.

On Monday, Don Nelson was arraigned in Campbell County Criminal Court on four counts of sexual battery. He plead not guilty and is scheduled to appear again next month.

The charges came following a several month investigation by the LaFollette Police, according to court records. In early February, Nelson is alleged to have sexually assaulted a female resident of Cumberland Village Nursing Home, the indictment said.

Officers with the Campbell County Sheriff’s Department went to the Wooldridge area of Jellico to execute a warrant.

Once at the home, they allegedly found not only cocaine and various other scheduled narcotics, along with $1,200 in cash. However, that wasn’t the only items police found. Over 10 different types of weapons ranging from handguns to semi-automatic weapons was located.